| Name | Age | Sex | Injuries | Injured areas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Laroche, Mark | 15 | Male | Not recorded | Not recorded |
One November 24, Ker Varnadoe, Mark La Roche (15) and Ray Kenler visited Natural Well in Madison County in Alabama. All three rappelled the 185-foot entrance drop and explored the cave. In exiting, Kenler ascended the 185. La Roche came next using a Mitchell System but panicked about 15 feet off the floor and refused to continue. He was talked back down by Varnadoe but could not be talked into ascending. Varnadoe ascended and at 6:35 p.m. called for help. Kenler rappelled back down to keep the victim company. The Huntsville Grotto Rescue Squad and Madison County Rescue Squad soon supplied eight rescuers. A second rope was rigged and a mechanical advantage pulley system had the victim out by 8:30 p.m.
Varnadoe says the cavers had done several 100 foot pits and 70 foot cliffs previously. This is apparently a case of a caver not being psychologically "up" for such a pit on that particular day. We all have mental "ups" and "downs" and one should try to know oneself enough to recognize when one is "down."
Caver panicked while ascending out of a pit. They were able to be talked down and wait to be hauled out.
Huntsville Grotto Newsletter 20(1) Jan 1979 p4.
This record was last updated on 27th Apr 2024 at 23:11 UTC.